Amelia Sweeney

So, in the wake of the scandals of Jimmy Savile, Bill Roache and most recently Jimmy Tarbuck, one female Barrister is arguing that the age of consent for sex should be lowered to 13. Obviously, that would solve this kind of problem…

The debate over benefit amounts and cuts has run wild for the past few weeks, culminating on the government deciding that a family on benefits should receive no more than £26,000 (after tax). From July, claimants across England, Scotland and Wales will face the benefit cap of £350 a week for a single adult and £500 for a couple or single parent.

The debate over benefit amounts and cuts has run wild for the past few weeks, culminating on the government deciding that a family on benefits should receive no more than £26,000 (after tax). From July, claimants across England, Scotland and Wales will face the benefit cap of £350 a week for a single adult and £500 for a couple or single parent.

America is famous for some of its wacky, zealous and plain outrageous ideas, laws and people. One of the weirdest things to come out of the USA this week is 18 new signs put up in Florida. Sounds fairly normal... until you take a closer look at the reflective red items that mark properties in the Bradford County with a huge warning. The signs name and shame convicted sexual predators and inform people that they live in the houses they are placed in front of.

Reports recently announced a new medical marvel, a kidney ‘grown’ in a laboratory, which after being transplanted into animals, began to produce urine. Whilst these engineered kidneys are obviously less effective than natural ones, the science world is buzzing with excitement. It seems in this century anything is possible.

Travelling is all about escaping from the normal. Some people are happy to just soak in the views and enjoy some relaxation, but for others it’s all about discovering something new or experiencing something you’ve never seen before. Some of the best opportunities lie away from the beaten track of mass tourism and in places that wouldn’t normally be seen as holiday destinations…

As a nation we have had some awesome and admittedly slightly cheesy boy and girl bands find success, and the newly split Girls Aloud were no exception. Despite finding success as the five girls with greasy hair and toothy grins on Pop Stars: the Rivals, Nadine, Cheryl, Sarah, Nicole and Kimberly have become one of the most successful girl bands in the last century. Their reputation, as the epitome of pop stars, is one that has even impressed U2's front man, Bono, who stated that he thought the band were the ‘cutting edge’ of pop music. Their infectious songs have long been guilty pleasures of mine including some of their earlier hits like ‘Sound of the Underground’ and ‘Biology’.

So admittedly I’m rather late in jumping on the Bastille bandwagon, but it happened eventually, after stumbling across them by chance courtesy of Spotify’s Top 40 playlist. Formed in 2010 from South London, Bastille’s debut album Bad Blood has been released to rave reviews and taken the UK by storm; it took the no.1 spot on the Top 40 album chart upon release, and their single ‘Pompeii’ reached no.2 on the Top 40 singles chart.

Fresh off its Best Picture win at the OSCARs and BAFTAs, Ben Affleck’s Argo has been released to a surge of rave reviews and a lot of criticism. The thriller, based on true historical events, is a film that focuses on pure, excellent narrative, rather than sensational, stomach churning action. The film surprised me with its light and classic comedic portrayals, and its fluid movement between the light and brassy Hollywood to the cold and detached Iran.

What is it about awards shows that make me incapable of turning away? Once again, January and February, for me, were all about the BAFTAS, The BRIT Awards, The Grammys, Golden Globes, Oscars and anything else that involved at least one celebrity crying, someone perfecting their ‘I didn’t even prepare a speech’ line, and another humiliating themselves. In this case, two out of three belonged to Anne Hathaway.

Exit (also known as State of Exit) is an annual summer music festival in the Petrovaradin Fortress of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is staged annually since 2000 and usually lasts four days (since 2003). Held in the picturesque…